Thursday, 21 April 2016

Spring Rush At RSPB Rainham Mashes 13th -21st April

13th April

Another day, another potential springtime bonanza of freshly
arrived migrants. I arrived at the little car park at about 0730 with and with Stan
Brown heading to the Serin Mound and Alasdair Wilcock ambling down the river
wall towards the centre I decided to head the other way round the landfill
before cutting up and over it to see if I could relocate Ruth’s even earlier
female Ring Ouzel.

Like yesterday there was Skylark and Meadow Pipit song all
around but the difference was the glorious blue sky with wispy opalescent cloud
and a flat calm River Thames. There were no terns today but a Corn Bunting made
itself known with a series of little ‘plips’ as I headed up onto the tip. It was
definitely a morning a little brown birds with the larks and pipits joining the
bunting to watch me from their chosen perches. Linnets were out collecting nest
material and I reckon that there must be about ten pairs in that area. Such
smart little birds.

Skylark

Meadow Pipit

I suspect that they were keeping an eye on the Short-eared
Owl that was permanently patrolling the ‘hillside’. He was completely
unperturbed by my presence and came incredibly close.

Short-eared Owl - Paul Hawkins

Short-eared Owl - HTV

The Marsh Harriers were out over Wennington and two Egyptian
Geese flew in from the west. The marsh really is looking great and the view
from the top of Rainham Ridge (as we affectionately know it) put the whole
reserve into context in the urban fringe industrial landscape in which we
nestle. Two more owls greeted me upon my descent before I headed into work.

Ten minutes later I was driving slowly down our approach
road with my radio off and customary open windows to be met by a singing Firecrest
in the Mardyke Ivy. I stopped and reversed up just in case my ears were playing
tricks but no, sure enough there was a dapper little stripy headed sprite
gleaning insects from the Lime Tree buds but somehow managing to sing
vociferously at the same time. I attracted a few pullover birders and staff and
most managed at least a glimpse. Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were getting going
and a Whitethroat moved through the canopy. I thought I heard the start of a Garden
Warbler and this was later confirmed by another visitor who actually saw it
too.

Firecrest - Jake Alexander

It looked like it was going to be a lovely day and a quick
listen from the drawbridge revealed that the closer Grasshopper Warbler was
still present (and in fact showed quite well at times during the day and was
one of three reeling) and Cetti’s could be heard in almost every direction. I
even saw one in the car park when I got out of my car.

Grasshopper Warbler - Magnus Andersson

Cetti's Warbler - Tony Coombs

More Whitethroats had come in and could also be now heard
from the centre along with the usual plethora of Wrens and Dunnocks. There are
still so many duck around and I saw all the regular dabblers today with Shoveler
definitely being in the majority with the males being especially feisty at the
moment!

Bathing Shoveler - Tony O'Brien

The Wednesday Walk had not long been out when I glanced out
of the window to see a small bird flying to my left. It looked like a Coal Tit,
so I grabbed my bins and locked on as it headed up onto the river wall where it
thankfully perched long enough for a good look and to get Tony Coombs onto it!
It was exactly what I suspected and the bright blue-grey upperparts, clean
white face and wing bars and clean under parts all pointed to a bird of
Continental origin. As if to prove my point about being a migrant on the move
it promptly took off and bimbled west along the river wall. This is only my
third record for the site with both the other sightings coming from
October-November when Continental immigration is also more likely than local
dispersion. Rather bizarrely I have seen more Penduline Tits, Pectoral
Sandpipers, Great White Egrets and Goshawks and the same number of Razorbills
here than I have Coal Tits!

Just a few minutes later Andy Reid radioed in to say that
they Stone Curlew had just flown over his head and landed on Aveley Marsh out
near the Winter Pool but is immediately went to ground and was never seen again
all day. The rest of the day was desk bound but I did manage to see two Brent
Geese on the river, my first Hobby of the year way out over Wennington and a
cracking luminous Yellow Wagtail that flew over Louis and I.

As for that Cuckoo? Well not today but they arrived at Two
Tree Island and Stow Maries so I will not be too far out!

14th April

The weather precluded much in the way of footfall but some
determined slogging around in generally inclement weather from Dominic, Smiffy,
Tweedy, Phil, Pat and Bill (and window watching from myself) resulted in a new day record of 100 species for the
site!Anyway, suffice to say all of the
'usual suspects' common birds were logged with most of the warblers being seen
and now including five singing male Grasshopper Warblers. Three are between the
visitors centre and the Turnstile Gate with another in the Enclosed Bay and one
out on Rainham West. The one closest to the centre is especially showy at the
moment.

Grasshopper Warbler - Russell Sherriff

And
click here for a listen to this bird recorded yesterday evening by Fraser
Simpson. What an amazing song...

The rain seemed to push quite a few more Terns up river
including 55 Commons with a few Arctics mixed in. When the weather broke for a
short while late in the afternoon nine gleaming Arctics gracefully headed back
downriver. The weather front also dumped a few hirundines and although
there were not many, the twenty or so each of Sand Martin and Swallow and a few
House Martins were still more that we have seen all spring. They were
alighting on the fence at the bottom of the Ramp and Jo managed some nice ' in
the rain' shots.

Hirundines in the rain - Jo Collins

A couple of Whimbrel, the Greenshank and four Avocet were
floating around and ten Dunlin and two Ringed Plover were new in. A Corn
Bunting jangled up on the tip and Pied, White, Yellow and Grey Wagtails were
all seen along with the male Firecrest once again in the ivy covered limes
along the entrance road.

16th and 17th April

The 16th was freezing with a northerly breeze that brought
back out the woolly hats and gloves and kept the birds closer to the deck but
it was by no means dull with three gull species being added to the ever
increasing week list with a 1st summer Common Gull, two adult Med Gulls and a
beautiful 1st summer Little Gull along the river. The latter had residual black
in the wings but none underneath, a partial black hood and the most
ridiculously pink under parts I have seen on a small gull in a long time! It
spent most of the day dipping into the scum line where the currents met in
Aveley Bay. Common Terns peak at over 100 and several Arctic Terns positively bounced
up river.

A good few Wheatears were seen between the Concrete Barges and Ouzel
Fields and the Grasshopper Warblers were still in song and showing on and off –
oh and on that note please stay on the paths and away from the bushes so that
the birds can properly set up their territory and make more Groppers... The
first Swift was seen and a Jack Snipe was once again a-bobbing on Purfleet
while a late evening Cuckoo was heard at the west end.

Wheatear - Russ Sherriff

And so the 17th dawned clear and bright with blue sky, no
wind, a heavy frost and the promise of some spring sunshine. The Grasshopper
Warbler was still reeling away but was again pushed and went quiet for a while,
while two Whinchat and several Wheatears were seen behind the Serin mound where
the Short-eared Owls continued to play.

Bearded Tits were especially mobile and noisy today and two Hobbies
entertained and even perched up in the middle of Aveley for a while. A few Swallows
and Martins had arrived with their hunter but it was obviously after smaller
aerial prey and left them alone. Two more Swifts eluded me but a glowing Yellow
Wagtail headed through and the Firecrest was again heard in song late afternoon
along with a Goldcrest in the same spot by the Spider Park Bridge.

Bearded Tit - Ricky Blackman

The warmer weather prompted the local Buzzards and Marsh
Harriers to get up and also provided us with yet another highlight to an
amazing week when Phil Street shouted ‘Montagu’s Harrier’ down the radio. We
missed the bird as it came past the centre but caught up with it as it
gracefully circled across the river on long narrow silver wings. What a bird to
see here! Better was to come as Jo Collins and several others had actually seen
the bird out over the marsh and she arrived a while later with some stunning
pictures of this full adult male as it cruised through!

Montagu's Harrier - Jo Collins

Montagu's Harrier - Jo Collins

Roy Woodward picked up an Osprey a short while later heading
west but it was too far off for us to pick up and Arctic, Common and Sandwich
Terns were all seen on the river. Warblers were in energetic song and although
there are not many Reed Warblers at the moment, the Sedgies are in in good
numbers and are in full flow along with many Whitethroats and a couple of
rattling Lesser Whitethroats and Willow Warblers too. Even the Ravens dropped
in today to round up an amazing seven days on the marsh with a staggering 124 out of 156
species recorded for the entire year to date seen during the week...

Let’s start again tomorrow...

18th -21stApril

It has been a mixed bag weather wise this week with glorious
sunshine one day and freezing cold and windy the next but still the birds have
struggled in and over the last two days we have seen some new arrivals in the
shape of a few Common Swifts scything through the air and a trickle of passage
waders starting to appear.

Bar-tailed Godwit - Joanne Gates

Wednesday saw two find summer plumaged Spotted Redshanks on
the Winter Pool and five Green Sandpipers on the Target Pools while both Bar
and Black-tailed Godwits, two Whimbrel, two Curlew, Dunlin, Greenshank and four
plump orange-legged Ringed Plovers appeared over the high tide I am sure
that there will be more to come over the next few weeks although the incoming
northerlies will hold things back a little once again.

Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers are now in in great numbers
and Reed Warblers are slowly arriving while in the Cordite there are now three
rattling male Lesser Whitethroats to be seen.

The Grasshopper Warbler is still showing periodically and
allowing some great views with the right degree of patience. At least two
more are still reeling elsewhere on the marsh. Our third Ring Ouzel of
the spring was seen near the Serin Mound and the same very fortunate Bruce
Carson also saw a female Common Redstart while I had a female Whinchat on
Rainham Ridge on Monday.

Whitethroat - Russ Sherriff

Lesser Whitethroat - Dawn Cowan

Love this atmospheric shot of a sedge warbler by Magnus Andersson

Grasshopper Warbler - John Humble

The Kestrel continues to show well along the river wall and
two more Red Kites added to our great year tally. The Hobbies were seen
again over Wennington and there was some great interaction between the Marsh
Harriers. Similarly the Short-eared Owls are still on show most days
and I am wondering if they will still be here when I get back from my holidays?

Hobby - Karl Price

The woodland was wonderfully sheltered and the butterflies gave themselves up
on the warmer days and even the hyperactive Brimstone touched down long enough
to get papped. And I just had to put in
this superb shot of a by Gerry Hoare... a cracking springtime fly called Gymnocheta
viridis and despite its colour, not related to Greenbottles at all...

Gymnocheta
viridis- Jerry Hoare

The Musca autumnalis are massing again and on warmer morning are starting to congregate on the sunny side of the building and on posts, fences and signs!

Musca autumnalis

And big Queen Bumblebees such as this Bombus terrestris have also been seen catching rays...

The Little Grebe nest by the MDZ got predated by a Weasel on
Monday with the loss of both parent and eggs but there are plenty more active
pairs around to enjoy and they do seem to like nesting very close to the path. The reeds seem to have become a summer home for at least
four or five pairs of Bearded Tit once again and there are more reliable now
than they have all year while the Marsh Frogs are now very much up and active
and attracting the usual degree of attention from public and predators alike.

Little Grebe - Magnus Andersson

Bearded Tit - Magnus Anderson

Marsh Frog - Moi Hicks

Tomorrow is my last day for a couple of weeks so let's hope
there is something fantastic like a Black-winged Stilt wading round on the Purfleet
Scrape when I get in! There was a Great White Egret seen by Fraser late Wednesday night so who knows!

And thanks as ever to the photographers for the use of their Rainham images in my own blog...

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About Me

I have been a birder for what seems like all of my forty-odd years but thankfully with that has come an all encompassing love for everything wild and wonderful. I am lucky enough to work for the RSPB at Rainham Marshes so I suspect that you might get used to a post or two from where I spend most of my time...